Friday, November 23, 2012

Rutabaga??

I could post all kinds of scientific stuff about rutabaga here. Where it comes from, how it grows, what vegetable family it's in, etc. I won't. I will say this. If you have never had rutabaga it is one vegetable you want to at least try.

It is cooked the same way as other root vegetables. Potatoes, turnips and carrots. You peel, cut and boil. I like my rutabaga just about any way it is served. I don't love many (most) vegetables. I simply tolerate them. This one though I could eat on very regular occasions. Our favorite way is in a pot roast.

Google rutabaga and see all the ways you can eat this healthy veggie. Raw, boiled, fried, mashed and so on.

So, you went a bought one. Now you are staring at it and wondering, "Now what?" They can be stubborn buggers if you don't know how to peel and cut them properly. So here are some pictures to walk you through.

The first thing you will notice is that it is covered in wax. This extends the already very long shelf life of a picked rutabaga. (I've had them in my fridge for as long as three months and they are still good.) Grab a vegetable peeler and start peeling it off, working around the edges then the top and bottom. You want to make sure that the bottom surface remains somewhat flat.

After you have it peeled, stand the rutabaga on it's flat bottom on a cutting board.

With a very sharp larger knife, cut the rutabaga in half.

Now lay the rutabaga on the flat cut side and cut again into the size of chunks you want to cook with. Larger for longer cooking roasts and smaller to have just boiled rutabaga with butter.

I left mine at this size because they are going into a roast. I would cut them all in half once more for plain boiled. The pot roast recipe will be posted soon.

This was also a very small rutabaga. No matter the size the same method works. Have you ever tried rutabaga? What is your opinion: Love or Hate?